Landlords ‘may have helped raise renovation expenditure’

A recent study has indicated that more money than last year will be spent by British households on implementing structural changes to properties.

Director of the National Home Improvement Council Andrew Leech said that the findings, which were published by Sainsbury's Home Insurance, may be partly to do with the activities of private landlords.

He said that the reported £5,369 increase in spending on structural changes - from £17,361 last year to a potential £22,730 in the next 12 months - may have been aided by landlords looking to boost their incomes in the long term.

Mr Leech remarked: "I wonder if this [reported figure] also includes private landlords who are doing extensions on the back of rented properties to get a bit more room and a bit more space so they can charge more rent."

Various surveys in recent months have shows that landlord rent has dropped year-on-year in the UK, although there have been signs of improvement in the latest indexes.